


The Truth Behind the Lie

by ericsonclan



Series: Hamilton-ish [3]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Backstory, F/F, F/M, Inspired by Hamilton, Love Confessions, Protective Siblings, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28902399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Violet shares the secret of why she pretends to be blind with Prisha.
Relationships: Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Louis & Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Willy & Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: Hamilton-ish [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2107566
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	The Truth Behind the Lie

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

“Truly a lovely day for a frolic through the countryside,” Prisha noted as she and Clementine walked their horses out of the paddock. The morning air was crisp in their lungs, seeming to hint at the opportunities the rest of the day held. Tragically they would be confined to the tents for most of the day in meetings with Lee and the rest of the leaders of the revolution, strategizing how they would deploy the troops within the next crucial months. For the moment though, they were free to do as they wished and the pair had decided to spend their time taking a morning ride together to celebrate their last few days near New York before they would need to move on.

Clementine nodded happily at Prisha’s words, stepping into the stirrup and lifting herself onto her horse with a light grunt. They were preparing to ride out from camp when they noticed Brody walking in the direction of the paddock. “Brody!” Clementine called with a friendly wave. “Care to join us?”

“Actually, I did come here looking for you, but not to join,” Brody answered, stopping beside Clementine’s horse. “You both have visitors. I bet you can guess who,” Clementine and Prisha shared a look before looking back to Brody who had a playful grin on her face. “That’s right: the Mason siblings. All three of them,”

“Three? They brought Willy to a military encampment?” Prisha asked in disbelief.

Brody nodded. “They said he begged to come along,”

“We’d better go meet them,” Clementine turned her horse away from the open fields to the camp. “They’re by the main entrance?”

“That’s right. Have fun you two – gotta make the moments count before we head out from here,” Brody teased.

Neither of them bothered to answer as they rode off. There was no point trying to deny the infatuation both of them had fallen into with the older Mason siblings. Both had snuck into the city whenever they could spare the time and run into their fellow soldiers more than once while in the company of their respective Mason. Trotting through camp, both Clementine and Prisha couldn’t help but feel excited at this unexpected visit. As they neared the front entrance smiles broke out on their faces at the sight of their visitors.

Louis and Violet were in the midst of an improv game of hopscotch. Lines had been drawn in the dirt and Louis and Willy seemed to be competing for some sort of stakes, jumping excitedly from square to square while Violet’s eyes stared blankly at the ground, a small smile on her face at the sound of her brothers’ merriment. Their attention turned to Clementine and Prisha as the pair approached and they ran up to meet them, pausing just short of running into the horses.

“Clem!” Louis exclaimed, his grin growing as he looked up at her.

“Good to see you, Lou,” Clementine replied, pulling her horse to a stop.

“Violet,” Prisha inclined her head to the blonde lass. “A pleasure as always,”

Violet simply nodded, clearly too flustered to do more.

“And I’m here too!” Willy exclaimed, popping out from behind his big brother. “Are those the horses you guys ride into battle?”

Prisha smiled fondly down at the lad. “In fact they are. I’m happy to say this girl has been with me for two years now, my right hand in every fray,” She gave her horse an affectionate pat, her fingers drifting softly through its black mane.

“Mine’s a bit younger but she’s got enough fire in her to face down all the redcoats herself,” Clementine bragged, pleased when she saw Willy’s eyes widen in wonder.

“Wow! Did you ever get to jump them over anything during battle? Like an exploded crater or a whole line of enemy soldiers?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t overwhelm Clem and Prisha with all these questions, buddy,” Louis said, holding his brother back from stepping even closer to the horses and giving his hair an affectionate ruffle.

“If you’d like, I could actually give a tour of the grounds,” Clementine offered. She loved showing off all that the revolutionary troops had accomplished so far and doing it in front of Louis was an added bonus.

Willy’s eyes practically bugged out of his head at that offer. “For real?” He looked up at his brother, tugging on his arm frantically. “Can we get a tour? Can we, can we, can we?”

“I wasn’t planning to say no,” Louis chuckled, sending a wink Clementine’s way before stepping forward to help her down from her horse.

“Wonderful! We’ll just drop by the pasture first then I can give you the full tour. Prisha, Vi, are you interested too?”

Prisha considered it for a moment before noticing the expression on Violet’s face. Though her eyes were downcast, it was clear at a glance that she was distraught. Continued public attention and the need to continue her blind charade would only aggravate her further. “I believe we shall be turning down the offer, but thank you, Clementine,”

“Alright then. We’ll see you two later,” With that Clementine walked off with Louis and Willy in tow, leaving the pair alone.

Hopping down from her horse, Prisha walked over to Violet and gently took her hand while keeping her other on the reins. “I was thinking a ride through the countryside would be just the thing to brighten my day this morning and I can think of no better company than you. Would you care to accompany me?”

“Y-yeah,” Violet murmured, glancing up at Prisha briefly before her eyes took on a blank glaze once more. She was quiet as Prisha guided her over to her horse, her only noise a small gasp as Prisha took hold of her small waist and helped lift her up onto the back of the saddle.

Climbing up herself, Prisha glanced back at the object of her affections, reaching for her hand once more. “You’ll have to hold onto me to avoid falling off as I plan to move rather quickly. Is that alright?”

“Sure,” Violet’s hands slipped round Prisha ever so softly, her fingers tentatively taking hold of the edges of Prisha’s uniform before tightening.

Prisha felt her heart flutter at the gesture. Clearing her throat, she tried to maintain her decorum. “Alright, here we go,” With a flick of the reins and a light tapping of her heels they were off, riding past the camp and out onto the open fields. Prisha had explored the surrounding area time and time again for both strategy and pleasure. She knew just where she wanted to take Violet: a secluded pond just a mile or two off the road, surrounded by a grove of oak trees that provided plentiful shade on even the hottest days. The ride was too brisk for conversation and Violet still seemed lost in her own thoughts so Prisha focused on getting them there as promptly as possible, relishing the way the wind blew back the wisps from her face as they continued at a gallop.

About a quarter hour later they had reached the grove. Slowing her horse down, Prisha continued at a walk until they reached the pond. Prisha dismounted, looped the reins over the nearest branch then helped Violet dismount as well. Taking Violet’s hand, Prisha slowly led her to the tree closest to the pond, making sure she had comfortably settled against the base of the tree before taking her own seat.

Violet still appeared perturbed; her brows knit together as her mouth pulled down in a frown. It was clear even now that they were alone the reason for her nerves had not gone away. That must mean one thing: she was nervous about saying goodbye. Prisha had been dreading it as well. She had always been able to cut previous romantic ties with ease, citing her career and her calling as reasons she must move on. But in this case, Prisha found herself loath to dust off her usual farewell speech. She didn’t want saying goodbye to Violet to feel rehearsed. It needed to be authentic. Prisha cleared her throat to begin. “Violet, I-”

“Prisha, there’s something I need to say!” Violet spurted out, her eyes widening and falling when she realized she had interrupted Prisha. “Sorry,”

“No, please continue,”

“Prisha, I… I think I should enlist,”

That statement caught Prisha entirely off her guard. “What?”

“I should enlist. All the reasons I had for faking my blindness seem like shit now and I can’t just let all of you leave and stay back like a coward,”

“If this is some ploy to ensure that you end up in the same unit as me, as much as I appreciate the sentiment there’s no way I can ensure-”

“No, it’s nothing like that! Just- just listen, okay?” Violet looked up at her love with a grave expression. Prisha nodded and she continued. “I never told you the story behind why I pretend to be blind. When we first met you called my bluff right away. I was so busy being fucking terrified that you’d tell everybody my secret that I never brought it up. Then when I started, well,” Violet spluttered a bit on her words, cheeks flushing, “When I started falling for you I didn’t want to talk about it either. I was afraid you’d be ashamed of me, of what I had done,” Violet’s eyes were on her hands which were nervously playing with one of the ribbons upon her dress.

Reaching out, Prisha gently took her hand, rubbing her thumb against it. “I could never be ashamed of you,”

Violet’s eyes brightened a bit at that statement before dimming. “Just wait and see. I guess I better tell a bit more about my family for all this to make sense. I bet you figured out that Louis and I aren’t related by blood,”

“A complete shock,” Prisha noted dryly. “But continue,”

“Louis is General Mason’s son. After the first Mrs. Mason died, my mother married his father. She’d already had me and Willy at that point. My father had passed away. I don’t have much to say about him except I’m glad his corpse is floating somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. But yeah, my mom married Louis’ dad and for a couple years everything was good. But then my mom got sick and, well…” Violet let out a shaky breath, “She died too,”

“I’m so sorry, Violet. It sounds as though life hasn’t always been kind to you,”

Violet shrugged, not meeting Prisha’s eyes. “I get by. I have Willy and Lou. That’s all I really need for family,”

“And General Mason?”

“I never liked him. When my mother was still alive he put on an act in front of her of being a caring father whenever he bothered to show up. Most of the time he was away on business trying to get even richer than he already was. But when he was home and my mother wasn’t around, I saw the way he treated Louis: always pushing him, always trying to make him do things he didn’t want to do, be things he never wanted to be. And when Louis didn’t do as he said, he told him he was a disappointment. One time I heard him tell Louis that it was his fault his mother died, that something about how he was born broke something inside her and made her sick for years. Hearing the way he spoke to his own son… I fucking hated him,”

“How did he treat you and Willy? Was it more of the same? If he hurt you…” Prisha paused, uncertain what she would threaten, but she wished to threaten the man.

Violet shook her head. “It was never like that. For some reason, he cared most about excellence in Louis, I think because he was his blood. With me he mostly let me do what I wanted and took me on hunting trips and stuff when Louis ran and hid. He always liked that I was good with a gun. Said I was a born shot. But I didn’t see much of him really. After my mother passed away, he was barely ever home. And then the revolution started, and we never saw him at all. He took Louis with him for a while. They were gone a couple weeks and then all of a sudden Louis was home. I asked him what happened, but he wouldn’t tell me. His father was furious. I heard them fighting one night in the study when he came for a visit. The next day he rode back to rejoin his unit. He doesn’t visit anymore,”

Prisha listened silently, all the while softly stroking Violet’s hand which was clenched tightly round her own. She was glad to learn more of Violet’s life even if it saddened her to hear much of it. “I’m sorry, Violet. You deserve a better father than him,”

“There’s more to tell. We haven’t gotten to the whole blindness scam, remember?” Violet gave a wry, bitter smile, her eyes locked on the still, quiet pond. “Louis had been home for a few weeks. I had gotten sick a little while after he returned since I chased Willy out in the rain to get him inside when he wanted to watch a thunderstorm. He didn’t get sick at all. Figures. I got sicker and sicker. Couldn’t even lift myself out of bed. Felt like I was gonna die. That’s when a letter came, one from General Mason. He said I was to join the 55th regiment and serve under him,”

“He didn’t know you were sick?”

“He hadn’t even bothered to check in. Anyway, I was far too sick to read or answer any letters, so Louis answered it for me. And in that letter, he lied. He wrote that I was gravely ill and that the illness had left me blind,”

“Louis was the one who started the lie?” Prisha asked in disbelief. He didn’t even seem capable of a fib.

“Yeah. I was pissed when I found out what he’d done. I told him the lie was utter shit, that there was no way I was going to pretend to be blind for the rest of my fucking life. I told him he had to write to his father and tell him the truth and if he wouldn’t then I would do it myself. Louis grabbed all the ink, quills and papers and tossed them all out the window, knowing I was still too weak to even make it downstairs. That’s when I snapped. I told him he wasn’t going to make me out to be a fucking coward the same way he had done to himself,” Violet’s shoulders shook a bit as she let out a stuttered breath. “That right there’s the worst thing I’ve ever done,”

“He clearly forgave you,” Prisha gave Violet’s hand a gently squeeze. “Your brother loves you,”

“Yeah, but you can never take words like that back. Those words broke Louis. He started crying and he told me everything: why he was banished from the 55th regiment and why he couldn’t let me join,” Violet paused, flicking a piece of grass from her skirts. “You’ve met General Mason,”

“Yes,”

“People say he gets results,”

“I tend not to approve of his methods,”

“You’d be in the minority then,” Violet sighed. “Louis said that in the weeks he was with the 55th, his father ran the men ragged. Battle after battle, never a moment to rest before marching onto the next conquest. At every battlefield more died than Louis could keep track of, but they’d always win. More troops would be sent for and it would all start again. Lou spoke to his father, asked him why he pushed so hard, said there must be a better way to win our freedom than by sacrificing the lives of all we were trying to save. General Mason replied with some flowery bullshit about the price of liberty and the glory of sacrifice,” Violet scoffed. “I knew all he cared about was power and glory, but I didn’t think he’d kill so freely for it. I was wrong.

Things came to a head between Louis and his father after the last battle Louis fought in. It was a small skirmish, but they managed to capture a handful of redcoats. General Mason believed they had valuable information on the movements of nearby British troops, but they wouldn’t talk. He told Louis to kill one of them as an example to scare the others into being more cooperative. Louis refused. He was sent home the next day. He said that night in the study his father called him an embarrassment and a coward. Just like I did,”

“Louis knows you don’t feel that way,”

“The timing couldn’t have been shittier though. Louis had one more thing to show as well: a letter General Mason had already sent back after he heard I was blind. It was short, just two sentences long. _Very well. Do your best to see she is married off respectably and briskly._ Now that I was blind, he had no use for me as part of his household. I was a broken tool, just like Louis,” Violet shook her head, her eyes bitter. “Knowing that, I vowed I would never allow him to use me again. He had already thrown me away, so I wasn’t about to risk my life on the battlefield in some sort of sick service toward his glory. So I went along with the charade. I pretended I was blind in front of everyone expect Louis and Willy and that’s been my life for the last few years,”

“Violet,” Prisha’s voice was soft, her expression somber. “Thank you for sharing all of this with me,”

Violet shrugged. “I had to. I couldn’t have you go away and not know the reason I keep up this whole shitty lie. You…” Violet looked down, her voice a mere mumble. “You mean too much to me,”

Prisha felt a rush of emotion shoot through her entire being at those words. She feared her own voice might betray her as she tried to summon the courage to speak. “You mean a great deal to me too, Violet. I admire you immensely, the way in which you carry yourself, strong, confident, not giving a damn what the world might have to say about you. Hearing your story, I understand how you came to be so wondrous just a bit more. And I know I show an ease with flowery language that might make it seem as though I say such things regularly. But believe me when I tell you, Violet Mason, I have never been so enchanted by any other,”

Violet’s eyes were larger than ever at those words. She looked almost frightened for a moment before the spark of Prisha’s words lit something deep within her own eyes. “The things you say about me… I don’t see them in myself. But I want to. And that’s why I want to join the revolution. Back when I decided to take on the lie about my eyes all I knew about the war was that General Mason was invested in it for his own ends and I didn’t want to give him anything. But meeting you and all the other soldiers has made me realize it’s so much more than that. You have a purpose, something bigger than yourselves that you care about. You’re all working together to build the future you hope for. I want the world to be the one you dream it will be. So I want to fight too,”

“Violet,” Prisha cautioned, “This is not a decision to be taken lightly. Your life may very well be forfeit should you take it on,”

“I know. But that’s exactly what all of you are doing each and every day you fight for freedom. General Mason was just bullshitting when he talked about liberty and sacrifice, but with all of you it’s real. I see how passionate Clementine gets when speaking for the war effort. I watch how passionate you are each time you talk about what’s being done here and that someday you’re going to do the same thing for France. If I stay here just because I’m scared of what could happen out there, then I’m the coward. And I don’t want to be. I want to be the version of me I see when I look in your eyes,”

The thought of Violet working side by side with Prisha thrilled her. If Violet joined, then they wouldn’t be parted. They could spend each and every day together, riding horses, running drills, planning for the future. They would have each other’s back in battle and see the beginning of this new nation hand in hand. It was a beautiful, perfect dream… but a dream nonetheless. It only took a moment for Prisha’s expression to wilt as she shook her head. “Violet, everything you said is beautiful, but I think we both know it cannot be,”

Violet’s brows knit in concern. “I know I’d have a lot to learn, but-”

“It’s not that. I’m certain you would be an exceptional fighter. But it’s for that very reason I cannot allow you to join,”

“That doesn’t make any sense,”

“Normally it wouldn’t. But as much as your heart on the matter has changed, your circumstances have not. If you were to join the revolution and perform admirably it would indeed put you side by side with Clementine and I on the battlefield, but only for a moment. Then your father would hear of your achievements and want you fighting by his side instead, as the trophy you were so loath to be. And considering his tactics, your life as that trophy would most likely be short-lived indeed,”

Violet bit her lip, looking aside. She knew what Prisha said was true but the dream was loath to die. “You and Clementine have sway in the army, don’t you? You both work for General Lee – that has to hold weight!”

“It certainly does, but not enough to veto the whims of a general. And should General Mason claim he wished his daughter to fight by his side, Lee would have no choice but to fulfill such a seemingly reasonable request. I admire the drive within you to join us in our cause, but Violet, I will not knowingly endanger your life when the path to its end lies so clearly before us,”

“So what do I do then?” Exasperation and desperation mixed within Violet’s voice. “Continue what I’ve been doing, which is nothing? I can’t keep living like that, Prisha! I won’t let avoiding death at General Mason’s hands mean I don’t live at all!”

“There are other ways to serve, Violet! Join the war effort like Aasim has done! Raise funds, gather supplies, write in support of the revolution! There are plenty of things needed beside soldiers. Smuggle contraband, gather intelligence, but please, I beg of you, lay this idea to rest! As wonderful as it would be to have you by my side, I need you alive. I could not bear to lose you,” Prisha’s hands were shaking as they gripped Violet’s.

The blonde looked up at her soldier in concern. “Prisha,”

“You mean more to me, Violet, than I daresay most anything does on the expanse of the earth. Perhaps some part of me has been holding this back but… I love you, Violet. That’s the long and the short of it,” Prisha’s voice quavered as she said those words, her eyes bright and vulnerable.

“Shit. I- fuck, that’s no way to start,” Violet shook her head slightly as though trying to clear her thoughts before her eyes once more met Prisha’s. “I love you too, Prisha. I think we both just fell into it without either of us really knowing what’s going on, but as crazy as it all makes me feel, I’ve never been happier,”

“Then be mine,” The words had passed Prisha’s lips before she fully realized what they were. Both of them froze, awestruck by the words.

“Yours?” Violet’s tone was barely above a whisper.

Prisha nodded. She had meant those words even if her tongue had outpaced her mind. Taking Violet’s hands, she kissed them before placing them upon her heart. “I want to be with you, Violet. I know for a time that will mean my words are the only thing that will reach you while I myself am a far way off, but my love will be present in each and every phrase. And once this war is over, we can be together again as we are now. Together in the new world that will just have begun,”

A soft smile overtook Violet’s face, her joy abundantly clear. “Prisha, if you want me, I’m yours. For as long as you’ll have me,”

“I do want you,” Leaning forward, Prisha captured Violet’s lips in a passionate kiss, the force of it driving Violet’s head against the tree. Violet let out a hiss of pain and Prisha immediately withdrew. “Are you alright? I-”

“Don’t stop,” Cupping Prisha’s face, Violet met her lips again in a deep, lasting kiss. Everything stopped within that moment, the silent ecstasy of the moment crystallizing in that one kiss. It became another and then another, small, longing, stolen kisses till both of them drew the shortest distance apart to catch their breaths, their foreheads still touching.

Prisha found herself lost in the beauty of Violet’s eyes even as she struggled to gather her thoughts. Then one clear memory broke through. The strategy meeting. It would be starting soon. “Violet, we…”

“Have to go. I figured,” Violet nodded softly before closing her eyes and leaning in for one more kiss. “Alright,” She rose to her feet, dusting some stray blades of grass from her petticoat. “Are you busy all day?”

“Throughout the morning. But perhaps in the evening I could call upon you?”

“Supper?”

“It would be my delight to join you for it,”

“Knowing Lou, he probably already invited Clementine. We’ll make a night of it then. Enjoy every moment we have before you go,”

“I think that’s a splendid idea,” Prisha let her hand brush lightly against Violet’s before taking it. “The faster we return to camp then the sooner I’ll be done with my duties and can see you again,” She led the way back to her horse, unlooping the reins and turning it round. Violet was silent, clearly loath to part after all that had just transpired. Prisha looked up at the slant of the sun. There was still some time. “Perhaps a quick ride round the meadows before we turn back,”

Violet’s eyes brightened at the offer. “Definitely,”

“Well then,” Prisha got onto her horse herself before offering Violet her hand. “Shall we?”

Nodding, Violet took her hand and with a small grunt hoisted herself into the saddle behind her. “Let’s ride,”

With a flick of the reins they were off, Violet’s arms tightly wrapped round Prisha’s waist as they galloped through the countryside. There was still much to come for both of them and neither was naïve enough to believe it would all be easy. But instead of goodbye a bond had been formed this day, one they knew would sustain them through whatever they might face till the day they could once again be hand in hand and never let go.


End file.
